"Is anyone even using FireWire as a network interconnect for real,
anywhere?"
Out of the box anyone can simply connect two or more Apple OSX
machines together via FireWire cabling and update applications and
transfer files. Rebooting one system makes it appear on other systems
as an "external drive", then all activity is handled with the
"Migration Assistant" application ... daisy chaining several systems
is likewise as easy ... this without any active networking
application running or installed.
Apple's own cluster scenario, xGrid can use FireWire or EtherNet or
Internet interchangeably. "Now any individual or workgroup can
quickly build a low-cost supercomputer. Introducing Xgrid, the first
distributed computing architecture to be built into a desktop or
server operating system." ( http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/
features/xgrid.html ).
Oracle seems to have at least modest support for FireWire 1394
networking: http://oss.oracle.com/projects/firewire/ ... and Red Hat
has some interesting information (with a login): https://
www.redhat.com/search/ui.jsp?
ui_mode=answer&prior_transaction_id=285660&iq_action=4&answer_id=1677721
8&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fkbase.redhat.com%2Ffaq%2FFAQ_41_5735.shtm
Ed Karns
FireWireStuff.com
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